How to Rank Local Websites and Business with Local SEO

If you run a local business you don’t anyone to tell you it’s tough out there. Increased competition, higher costs, red tape – you name it, you’ve got to deal with all of it. And on top of that you’ve got to market your business.

And these days, marketing means the web. Whether it’s SEO or social media, if you’re not on top of your game then you can bet your bottom dollar that some other new competitor is trying to muscle in on your patch.

So if you’re looking for a structured, step by step plan to get your website to the top of the rankings then look no further.

How to Rank Local Websites and Business with Local SEO Infographic Sumamry

First up grab your local profile in Google, Bing and Yahoo if you haven’t done so already. Make sure you complete everything. Don’t leave anything out and include full descriptions of your business with photos and videos.

Next, get Google reviews. Businesses that have more reviews tend to get a higher ranking. When do you as for reviews? When you have a happy customer in front of you.

Vital sign that Google picks up are Name, Address and Phone (NAP) Citations. There are load of websites offer local business listings and these are really important so make sure you claim them.

Backlinks are also important and they are not as hard to obtain as you might think. In fact, just sending an email to a local supplier with a genuine testimonial can be enough. Also get listed in reputable industry directories or trade association websites.

Don’t forget those social media profiles either – you can link back to your site from your profile too. If you have the budget then consider getting listed in Authority Directories like Business.com (not to be confused with low grade, spammy directories – don’t use these).

Thin websites with little content do not perform as well as larger websites with more pages and more content. Avoid generic ‘Services’ pages and instead create separate pages for each service you offer. Make each page at least 500 words long and link to other pages on your site.

Make sure all of these pages are optimised. That means identifying keywords for each page and including them in the vital areas – metatags, URLs, Headings and in the text of each page.

Google also rewards websites that create fresh content on an ongoing basis. A blog is perfect for this. Don’t use your blog to sell – leave that to your services pages. Instead show your expertise and knowledge.